Samsung is launching the Galaxy S22 soon, and there has already been a slew of leaks and reports about what to expect. From what we gather, the Galaxy S22 is going to be an evolution of the S21 rather than a revolutionary change, much like the S21 was an evolution of the S20. This means the design language will generally stay the same, but the company will work on smoothing out flaws and build on the solid foundation it has already laid.
Samsung Galaxy S22 price and availability
No reports on the pricing of the Galaxy S22 family have emerged, but Samsung is likely to keep it in the same range as the Galaxy S21. This means that the S22 could start at $799 for the base model, with the S22 Ultra going into the $1,000-plus range depending on the configuration, and the S22 Plus falling somewhere in the middle.
As for when the Galaxy S22 could launch, going solely off past trends, it could either be around January as the company did last year or closer to Mobile World Congress in March. A report from Jon Prosser claims the Samsung Galaxy S22 is scheduled for a February launch, with the company delaying it from an earlier December launch. A later report from SamMobile corroborates that the S22 is scheduled for a launch in February. An even later report claimed that it would be announced on February 10 and released on February 18. Any way you look at it, the S22 is expected to get announced in the first three months of 2022.
Samsung Galaxy S22 design and display
The Samsung Galaxy S22 will, if rumors are accurate, inherit a lot of the design stylings of the S21. This means that the same style of wraparound camera bump will be found on the S22, with the same hole-punch display on the front.
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The Samsung Galaxy S22 details have been leaked.
As for the displays themselves, the S22 is said to be the smallest and will sport a 6.06-inch FHD+ 1080p display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The Galaxy S22+ takes this up a notch with a 6.55-inch FHD+ display and a 120Hz refresh rate, and the S22 Ultra leads the pack with a pretty large 6.81-inch QHD+ 120Hz display.
Renders purporting to show off the S22 and S22+ emerged from OnLeaks earlier this year, giving us a look at the phone itself and confirming the S21-style design. This doesn’t apply to the Galaxy S22 Ultra. Another set of renders leaked by OnLeaks shows a phone that looks a lot more like the Galaxy Note than ever. A flattened base, a built-in pen holder, and a squared-off design are significant aesthetic differences from the S22 and S22 Plus renders.
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The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra renders have been leaked.
The design has seemingly been confirmed by case makers, with the P-shaped camera module appearing in leaked case renders. Finally, a set of real-life images purporting to show off the Galaxy S22 Ultra emerged in November, showing off a design that harkened back to the Galaxy Note as Samsung attempts to lure customers who may miss the Galaxy Note series.
Samsung Galaxy S22 specs
The Galaxy S22 is a powerful handset when it comes to specs, as one would expect from a next-gen flagship. It was predicted to ship with either a Snapdragon 898 in some markets or an Exynos 2200-powered model for most international users. A report from the European publication Let’s Go Digital placed the S22 as coming with a Snapdragon 898 in the U.S. and parts of Asia and Africa, while Korea and the rest of the world get the Exynos 2200.
While Apple has increased the size of the batteries in the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro, Samsung is reportedly lowering the capacity of all phones save the Ultra. One report claims that the S22 line would have a 3,800mAh battery for the base S22, with the S22+ and the S22 Ultra coming with 4,600mAh and 5,000mAh batteries, respectively. This can be attributed to them being smaller phones overall. The company is shrinking the S22 and S22+ down from 6.2 inches and 6.7 inches, meaning less physical space for the batteries.
Samsung Galaxy S22 cameras
Samsung’s Galaxy S21 had excellent camera performance, rivaling Apple and Google’s own efforts in mobile photography. The S22 series can be expected to follow suit, and reports from Ice Universe assert that is the case.
The S22 and S22+ are rumored to be making the jump to a 50-megapixel (MP) main camera that will be paired with a 12MP ultrawide camera and a 12MP telephoto. When compared to the S21’s 12MP sensors, these look like a significant improvement on paper.
As with the S20 and S21, those who want the very best camera experience should focus on the S22 Ultra. It will reportedly have a 108MP main camera, with Samsung adding three additional 12 MP cameras — one for telephoto scenarios, a periscope lens with support for 10x optical zoom, and an ultrawide camera.
What about the Samsung Galaxy Note 21/22?
This year, Samsung did not release a Galaxy Note 21, prioritizing the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 instead. The former, notably, works with an S Pen Fold Edition. While the company left the door open for a Galaxy Note 22 in 2022, the leaked renders of the S22 Ultra indicate that Samsung might simply be folding the Note line into the S line, as has been speculated. If this turns out to be the case, buyers who want a Note-like experience would be well-served buying the S22 Ultra.
What about the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE?
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Fan Edition (FE) is a smartphone that has been both rumored and semi-confirmed by way of erroneously uploaded or leaked marketing material, manuals, and more. Samsung is not likely not to launch the S21 FE this year, despite rumors to the contrary and a second Unpacked event in October. The chip shortage is likely the main cause of this delay, and reports indicate that Samsung still intends to launch this phone.
Notable leaker Jon Prosser claims that the S21 FE will debut in January, just a month before the S22 on January 4. Samsung has done this before by launching the Galaxy S10 Lite and Note 10 Lite immediately before the S20, so this would not be an overt aberration from the company’s auto-cannibalistic marketing tactics.
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